HELPING YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR FIGURE(S)!

The Delta Squad Suits Up With Gears Of War 2 Figures Series 2

The months of anticipation and waiting are finally over as Gears of War 2 Figures hit stores. and Fans went crazy for Series 1 of NECA's Gears of War Action Figures and are anxious to continue building their collection of COG Soldiers and amassing their own Locust Horde.

Delta Squad gets two more members: Dominic Santiago and Damon Baird! And fans of the gruesome grubs have two new Locust figures joining this series: Theron Guards, in versions with and without their trademark red helmets.

The Gears of War 2 figures feature 3 new sculpts and a new version of Marcus Fenix.

In Gears For War 1 there seemed to be no logical reason why on Emergence
Day the Locust Horde suddenly surfaced seemingly intent on the
annihilation of the human population on the planets surface.

However, in Gears of War 2 we discover why they suddenly attacked the COG en mass.

As it turns out there are two factions of the Horde, a faction that has
been mutated by extensive contact with Imulsion, known as the Lambent
Locust and the uninfected.

Unknown to the human inhabitants on the surface, the two factions have
been engaged in a bloody civil war for domination of the Hollow, the
Locust Horde's underground labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs.

In this war the Lambent Locust had been gaining the upper-hand and have
driven the uninfected Locust from the Hollow and forcing them to fight
for their survival and emerge from their underground homes. This led to
their desperate attack on the COG at Jacinto and the Locust plot to sink
COG cities.

NECA continues the successful launch of their Gears of War figures with
the new Gears Of War Gears 2 Figures.As with their series one figures
Neca's Gears Of War 2 Figures come packaged in clamshells with the same
excellent standard of artwork and photography as in series 1.

The sculpting and paintwork again is also excellent and has certainly
raised the bar again. It seems Neca have learnt from their past mistakes
as they evolve into one of the premier manufacturers of action figures.

A major thorn in the side for me is the all too common practice of
manufacturers spending all their time getting the details of the sculpt
accurate but then skimping on the paintwork.

However this is not the case here, on the contrary Neca have done
another superb job with their paint application giving the Gears Of War 2
Figures an added sense of realism with their careful use of black
washes and silver high-lights to give them a battle-worn and weathered
look.

The articulation on these Gears Of War 2 Figures is much better than on
the first series with the addition of a combination of a hinged/swivel
joint on the elbows.

NECA have also done an excellent job on re-creating the weapons with
each being an accurate, authentic and realistic representation of those
used in the game.

The detail on these, as with the Gears Of War 2 Figures, is again
outstanding and really adds to the overall look and feel of them as a
whole.

NECA Toys have also announced that they have granted Amazon.com the
exclusive retail rights to their licensed Gears of War Bundle Lancer
Replica and 'Headshot' Locust Drone Gears Of War 2 Figures for the USA
and Canada.

Any customers who pre-order the Lancer replica will also receive a free
copy of the standard edition of the Gears of War 2 game for Xbox 360 and
be eligible to upgrade to the Limited Collector๏ฟฝs Edition of the game
for an additional $10.00.

The Lancer life size replica gun and Gears of War 2, developed by Epic
Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios, are scheduled for
simultaneous release on November 7, 2008 and will be available for
$139.99.

But that's not all, also scheduled for release is NECA's exclusive
"Headshot" Locust Drone Gears Of War 2 Figures with metal COG tag
replicas, which will retail for $19.99.

With its signature chainsaw bayonet The Lancer Assault Rifle is one of the most popular weapons in the Gears of War universe.

NECA used 3D data direct from the Gears of War 2 game in order to
produce an accurate and detailed electronic Lancer replica, which is 36
inches in length and runs on three "C" batteries.

The Lancer replica equipped with a removable clip and an adjustable side
handle that folds in and out and slides back and forth and when the
trigger is pulled it sets off a motorized chainsaw sound accompanied by
physical vibration.

The Locust Drone is a nasty enemy in Gears of War, and the "Headshot"
Locust Drone Gears Of War 2 Figures has is a new version of the original
action figure depicting the merciless foot soldier taking an
unfortunate Longshot Sniper Rifle blast to the head.

As with their series one figures Neca's Gears Of War 2 Figures come
packaged in clamshells with the same excellent standard of artwork and
photography as in series 1.

The sculpting and paintwork again is also excellent and has certainly
raised the bar again. It seems Neca have learnt from their past mistakes
as they evolve into one of the premier manufacturers of action figures.

A major thorn in the side for me is the all too common practice of
manufacturers spending all their time getting the details of the sculpt
accurate but then skimping on the paintwork.

However this is not the case here, on the contrary Neca have done
another superb job with their paint application giving the figures an
added sense of realism with their careful use of black washes and silver
high-lights to give them a battle-worn and weathered look.

The articulation on these Gears Of War 2 Figures is much better than on
the first series with the addition of a combination of a hinged/swivel
joint on the elbows.

NECA have also done an excellent job on re-creating the weapons with
each being an accurate, authentic and realistic representation of those
used in the game.

The detail on these, as with the figures, is again outstanding and really adds to the overall look and feel of them as a whole.

Dominic Santiago, better known just as Dom, is Marcus Fenix's right-hand
man, and is the default second player of the Gears of War video game.

Dom is a longtime comrade and friend of Fenix and they have a close
friendship. Dom is also a seasoned veteran and has a strong sense for
family, and often thinks of his wife Maria.

In fact in Gears of War 2 he attempts to locate his wife Maria, whom he
lost track of after Emergence Day. He eventually finds her imprisoned by
the Locust, and decides to kill her because she is incapacitated.

'โ€™s figure successfully captures his essence and detail is beyond my
best expectations. His armor, which is tailor-made, as with all the
Delta Squad is perfectly replicated to the minutest detail.

Neca's attention to the finer details also adds a touch of realism to
these figures, e.g. the heart shaped tattoo he wears on his right arm
with his wife's name inked in and he also has ammo pouches on each hip, a
combat knife on his shoulder, and his Snub Pistol holstered on his
chest.

Despite his cynical manner and dry wit Damon Baird is an important and
valuable member of the Delta Squad with his knowledge of the Locust
Horde and his technical skills.

Damon Baird was initially a member of Alpha squad and is a sarcastic
soldier takes and makes many jokes. His main strength is his
intelligence.

He also has a talent for mechanics, hacking and other repair-related
tasks, such as repairing a damaged APC and hacking into geobots.

But Baird has a certain amount of disdain for Fenix though as he feels
he should have been given Delta Squad's command and not Fenix but Fenix
quickly earns his respect through his battlefield leadership.

The Damon Baird figure uses the same body sculpt as Carmine and is, unfortunately lacking the extra articulation of the others.

It's uncertain why this is, whether it was a cost decision or whether
the figure was maybe designed and molded before the others and the extra
articulation was, but whatever the reason this makes the Baird figure
less desirable than the others.That said the detail, paintwork,
sculpting and articulation that he does have is excellent and superbly
executed.

To make up for this lack of articulation the Damon Baird figure comes
with a cool arsenal of weapons as he gets a Lancer and the
Locust-splattering Gnasher shotgun.

"Theron Guards, the Queen's elite Shock Troops, demonstrate greater
intelligence, strength and speed than average Locust Drones. They
communicate their orders in hissing whispers that carry on the wind,
bolstering faraway allies and sapping enemy morale. The Theron's Torque
Bow fires explosive quarrels with a delayed timer, leaving just enough
time to savor the enemy's fear before they explode in a fountain of
blood."

The Theron Guard figures are truly an outstanding and awe-inspiring
achievement. The intricate flowing wardrobe and amazing detail is a true
credit to Neca. The Theron Guards battle armor has been replicated down
to the finest detail, which will have been no mean feat.

Each Theron measures approximately 8 1/2 inches in height and is clad in
layers of leather-like apparel and plated armor. The Theron are not
only big but hefty as well with their solid construction and firm joints

Their shoulder pads and skirt sections have been made from a tough,
pliable rubber material to add to the figures realism which also adds to
the figures mobility and gives it a more natural look and feel.

The Theron come armed with only one weapon, their trademark Torque Bow.
The Torque Bow is a futuristic compound bow that fires highly explosive
arrows at the pull of a trigger. It also serves as a brutal melee weapon
as its limbs are lined with lethal blades.

Another often overlooked problem with many figures produced are that
they are often unable to hold or carry their weapons correctly, but that
is not the case here. The Torque Bow fits nicely into the Therons hand
and can be fired with one or both hands on the weapon.

Gears Of War Gears 2 Figures Theron Guard (Helmet) Action Figure

Swivel jointed head for menacing side to side or frontal poses.

Ball-jointed shoulders for holding weapons up high or outstretched.

Swivel upper forearms for better weapon grasping.

Concealed very nicely beneath the Theron's arm gauntlets are newly
added HINGED/SWIVEL ELBOWS. Weapon posing is now as easy as lock, load,
and fire.

Cut wrists for weapon grasping and hand gestures.

A slight ball-jointed waist for subtle, but appreciated leaning poses.

The Gears of War 2 Marcus Fenix figure is pretty much the same as Series
1 BUT with the extra articulation, which although very nice I don't
feel that it is a "must have" but then again I don't really "play" with
my figures so lots of articulation is lost on me but I do realize that
most collectors (I think) like to see alot of realistic articulation on
there figure.

Personally I think this is one to miss, unless of course you haven't got the series 1 one yet!

Due 09/2008

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